It’s odd that a match-3 game got me in my feelings so much that I’m considering adding making games to my profession of covering them. But that’s exactly what happened after my delightful time with Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To.
It’s a mouthful of a name, but damned if the game doesn’t do exactly what it says on the tin. There are little colorful block-shaped spirits, and you swap ‘em around to match three (or more) while charming and calming lo-fi beats bang out of your speakers. It reminds me of the recent trend in anime where the titles of shows are hyper-descriptive to the point of hilarity, and just like those shows, there’s a lot more going on than a simple match-3 game with a chill soundtrack. And I love it.
In Spirit Swap, you play as Samar, a witch with a lovely technicolor wardrobe who protects the material plane from mischievous but benign spirits that occasionally cross over and gunk things up. Throughout the game, Samar encounters her gaggle of friends, talking them through their myriad problems by challenging them to spirit-swapping competitions — think Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine with a dash of informal talk therapy.
Swapping is generally straightforward but has some interesting gameplay twists. Spirits can only be swapped horizontally, which means you have to work harder to swap effectively. The game gets even more difficult with the addition of powerful, spirit-clearing spells that are unleashed by arranging spirits in specific patterns. If you still find that too simple, the game has harder difficulties and an endless mode once you’re done with the criminally short story mode.
While the gameplay scratches my match-3 itch, what I enjoy most about Spirit Swap is the characters and their interactions. They’re all sumptuously designed with a wealth of body shapes, colors, and gender expressions. More than that, they’re all voice-acted, and when Samar and the characters talk to each other, they actually sound like real humans having real conversations. When Samar comforts her friend Mo because of her recent breakup, the way they talk to each other sounds exactly like something I’d say and how I’d say it.
And for what looks like a relatively lighthearted match-3 game, the developers have stuffed Spirit Swap with social situations that are shockingly relatable. One character laments that because of their natural generosity, their friend group constantly leans on them for help while never asking if they need help. Another is perceived as quiet and standoffish but reveals themself to be surprisingly deep. (When Samar asks where that depth comes from, they essentially respond: “Nobody’s really asked me.” Which, damn, I felt that in my spirit.) Even the things that aren’t immediately relatable are still fun to experience. I love that every time you win a match, you’re congratulated with the Arabic endearment “Ya Habibi!”
All these details coalesced to make me feel good — not just about playing Spirit Swap but about games in general. It’s short, fun, sweet, artistic, personal, and funny. And it’s the kind of game that makes me want to make a game myself.
Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats To Match-3 To is out now on Steam and Xbox.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
